Canada’s proposed Alto high-speed rail line promises faster travel, economic growth, and lower emissions, but it’s moving forward against a global track record showing such projects often run years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget.
The Toronto-Quebec City high-speed corridor was formally announced in February of last year by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The plan entered the pre-construction phase last month, and Prime Minister Mark Carney now champions it as a nation-building project. It is expected to cost between $60 billion and $90 billion and take at least a decade to build.
Detractors say those estimates are almost certainly optimistic….